If you’re from back East, like we were, you probably think of summer as something that starts off nice and comfy in June, and gets progressively more uncomfortable as July and August ooze on in. “In the 90s” can refer to the temperature or the humidity, and all too often both.
But out here in New Mexico, it’s very different. June’s usually the hottest month, having the most daylight for warming up, and not much rain to offer cloud cover or cooling. But as they say, it’s a dry heat, and 90 degrees with low humidity isn’t so bad, especially if you’re in the shade and there’s even a little bit of breeze. And with less humidity to trap the heat, nights cool down quite a bit, offering homes a chance to open up the windows and fill up with fresh cool air to start the next day.
But as June gave way to July, the monsoons began. Yes, they really call them monsoons here, even though Santa Fe only gets maybe 10-14 inches of rain in a good year. (And most years lately have not been nearly that good.) Right on schedule, around the end of June, the weather changed. Clouds form in the afternoon over the mountain ranges, and more often than not it’ll rain, at least somewhere. Often it’s not much, less than a tenth of an inch maybe, but sometimes it’s over an inch, enough to trigger flash flood warnings. With the drought going on as long as it has, and with a fire season that is always a looming concern, we’re grateful for every bit.
We’ll watch the clouds gather during the day, often anchoring around the mountains.
Sometimes it’s broadly overcast, and sometimes it's just isolated clouds with rain showers that are much more scattered. We can see the storms 20-40 miles out.
Sometimes the rains barely tease us before moving on. Other times it's a long slow soaking rain. Sometimes it's a deluge, with an inch or more in short order.
The low afternoon sun seems ideal for making rainbows, and sometimes even double rainbows.
And the sunsets put on a different show every night, and we love to catch them all.
The plants and trees here are accustomed to the dry climate, up to a point. So when we do get the rains, they're eager to soak it up. The sunflowers are shooting up along the roadsides, and the shrubs burst into bloom.
Santa Fe seems to have its charms at any time of year, but summer is the busy season. One could take in concerts, festivals, art markets, and galleries every day, and still miss most of the activity. In late June the Santa Fe Opera opens its season, with its sublime blend of world-class opera, kick-ass outdoor setting, and catered tailgate parties.
On the Fourth of July, the Plaza is turned into a gigantic neighborhood pancake breakfast, complete with local bands, art vendors, and antique cars.
Mid-July brings the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market. This was its 10th year, featuring nearly 200 artists from 60 countries, whose sales are a major part of their villages' income. It's now the largest international folk art market in the world, and its success led to Santa Fe’s designation as a UNESCO City of Folk Art.
So much to do here! But now the rain and thunder are easing up, and Daisy has concluded that our feet will be safe without her furry wraparound. At least until the next thunderstorm.
The Peeps, for Daisy Jones-Klein
Santa Fe, NM
July 2013
